


Tea Leaves and Terra Cotta

by Vampiric_Charms



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Holidays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-27
Updated: 2014-11-27
Packaged: 2018-02-27 04:24:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2679041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vampiric_Charms/pseuds/Vampiric_Charms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Winter Solstice brings out Tenzin’s stubborn side when it comes to tradition, much to Pema’s annoyance.  Surprisingly, though, it gives her and Lin a chance to bond over the thing they have in common.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tea Leaves and Terra Cotta

**Author's Note:**

> No spoilers. It also doesn't matter much where this falls on the Avatar timeline, just somewhere after Season 1. I personally really like the idea of Lin and Pema being friends down the line; this delves into that just a bit.
> 
> To those of you in the U.S., Happy Thanksgiving! To everyone who does not celebrate, Happy Thursday!

“Oh, that man!” Pema growled angrily, dropping an armful of dishes into the water-filled sink and scowling. She reached under the foam for a sponge and picked up a pot to scrub out her agitation on. “I swear, he makes his father seem -”

“Is there a problem?”

“Lin!” She was so startled by the sudden voice from the corner of the kitchen near the pantry that she spun around, the pot dropping from her soapy hands without hope of being caught. The brief fright quickly turned to dismay at the sound of pottery breaking against the floor. She dropped to her knees, reaching out for the pieces. “Oh, no, this was my favorite pot!”

Lin stepped forward awkwardly, her lips opening slightly and then closing again tightly. She could sense the earthen clay scattered on the floor, some of it already in Pema’s hands, and she felt a strong urge to fix it. A year ago she would have just walked away with a muttered apology.

“Here,” she said softly, kneeling beside the other woman and trying to take the pieces from her hands. She resisted in embarrassment. “Really, Pema, I can put it back together.”

“Oh.” Pema looked up at her, the realization dawning as she remembered Lin’s skill as an Eathbender, not just a Metalbender. “Right, of course.” She let the pottery fall gently into her outstretched hands, careful not to let the sharp edges cut her calloused palms. Lin accepted them easily, the fired earth speaking to her softly through her skin.

It only took a moment and, in the blink of an eye, Lin shifted her hands upward, urging the clay to soften enough to follow. That was all the pot needed to retake its former shape.

“Here.” She offered the whole thing back, and Pema gratefully accepted it. “I apologize,” she continued, lowering her eyes. “For starting you. I was helping myself to a cup of tea. I hope you don’t mind.”

Pema smiled widely at her. “I don’t mind at all! Sometimes I forget that you know where most everything is here, or I would offer to make it for you.” She stood, turning to put the dish back into the sink to be cleaned again. “I didn’t know you were here today.” 

“I came to see Tenzin about something quarter of an hour ago, but he was busy. I was going to leave once I warmed up a bit.” 

“You don’t need to leave,” Pema offered immediately, her eyes daring to the window where snow was piled high in the sill, the rest of the glass frosted over. “It’s freezing outside. Surely you can stay for a while longer? I’m making soup for dinner. A lot of it,” she added with a slight grumble.

Lin paused, her hand on the back of a chair, as she considered Pema’s words. She hardly had a chance to think of an answer, however, before Pema was talking again.

“Soup!” she exclaimed suddenly, her eyes narrowed. “He wants soup for Midwinter!”

“But it’s not -”

“Not Midwinter for another five days!” Pema interrupted irately without thinking, mindlessly reaching for the sponge again. “But he wants his Midwinter soup every night for the next five days in order to open his mind or some such! When does he think I’m going to have time to get to the market for all of those ingredients? For five days’ worth of soup for our _entire family_ , when this meal is only supposed to be for one night! I swear, that man does not think sometimes!”

Lin snorted, finally pulling out the chair and taking a seat. “That is the truth.”

“Did he ever do this to you?” 

The other woman set her heated eyes on Lin’s, and she shifted uncomfortably, crossing her legs at the knees. “With the Midwinter meal for an entire week?” she hedged, not exactly sure what she was expected to say. “Yes. I refused to cook for him.”

“Mm, yes, that might work,” Pema murmured, more to herself than to her companion as she reached for another dirty dish to wash, lost in contemplation.

“What? No, don’t do that!” Lin stood up again in a rush of words. The argument that had ensued after that particular request left her and Tenzin not speaking for almost a day. True, he hadn’t asked her to prepare the meal for the entire week leading up to the solstice again, but she still regretted not compromising. She also regretted throwing her best cast iron pot at him; it had never been the same, despite her repairing both the wall and the metal. All of her anger had arisen from him trying to treat her like a housewife, when she would have been more than happy to _help_ him cook – not do all the work herself.

Feeling a bit surreal as her memories overlapped the current situation, Lin met Pema’s confused gaze. “Compromise,” she suggested impassively, pushing her emotions down again.

“As we always do,” Pema sighed. But then she grinned, a mischievous lilt to it. “I can ask him to go to the market for me. With the _children_. Then he’ll get his dinner after I have a day to relax.”

Lin returned her smile, an unexpected companionship starting to open between them. “Would you like me to make you some tea, as well?”

“I’d like that very much,” Pema replied, already moving to fill the kettle with fresh water for them both. “Thank you, Lin.”


End file.
